Figure 53, a Baltimore-based software company, is hiring a macOS developer to work on our flagship program, QLab. We are looking for an accomplished developer with demonstrated and substantial experience fixing and adding functionality to shipped software. We’re also looking for a teammate who has strong creative and communication skills, as our business structures are unusually decentralized and non-hierarchical. We are looking for someone with both the self-motivation to work independently and the interpersonal skills to work cooperatively.

QLab is a powerful tool for designing and playing back sound, video, light, and show control cues. If you’ve ever watched a play (or the Olympics, or a sports game, or many other live events), chances are you’ve been in the room with QLab. Our ideal candidate would have interest in theatre, broadcasting, or live events, and/or experience working with AV and software tool file formats, network protocols (like Art-Net and OSC), or hardware protocols (such as MIDI, DMX), in addition to the technical qualifications outlined below.

We are seeking to hire a full time (40 hours a week) employee. We pay a competitive salary, have a formalized profit-sharing system that kicks in after one year, and benefits including generous paid vacation and fully paid health insurance. We are an all-remote company. Residency in Maryland, New York, Wisconsin, or California is mildly preferred but we’re open to candidates from anywhere in the US.

Technical Skill Requirements
The successful applicant will have skills and experience with some or all of the following:

macOS software development (Objective-C)
Implementing and debugging AV and software tool file formats, network protocols (like Art-Net and OSC), or hardware protocols (such as MIDI, DMX)
Metal or OpenGL
User interface design and implementation for software tools
Audio or video software programming (authoring or playback)
Animation, illustration, compositing, or presentation software
Theatrical lighting design software or hardware
Software for configuring or interfacing with embedded hardware

Bonus Technical Qualifications
While no one will have all of the following, experience with any of these would be a bonus:

iOS development (Swift or Objective-C)
Shipped or maintained production-grade software for theatrical or broadcast audio, video, or lighting
Shipped or maintained macOS or iOS software with substantial user base
macOS or Unix/Linux system administration skills, including computer network configuration (professional or personal).
Experience working or volunteering in a live event production environment (e.g. high school, college/university, community, or professional theater; corporate event production; broadcast television or radio; indie or professional film production; etc.)
Experience with QLab at a moderate or expert level. (At least a year or two of actual hands-on experience with QLab.)

Other Requirements

Self-motivated
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills
Experience developing software collaboratively
Good written communicator
Interested in being part of company-wide decisions at Figure 53
Curious and willing to learn

Salary and Benefits
All full- and half-time employees at Figure 53 are paid based on the same annual salary. (Our CEO makes 1.5x the base salary). The base salary is $151,000 for senior full-time employment.

After 1 year at Figure 53, you’ll receive quarterly profit sharing which is divided based on the length of time you’ve been at the company. Profit sharing is often a significant portion of our compensation.

25 paid vacation days, unlimited unpaid vacation days, and paid federal holidays plus the week between Christmas and New Years off.

SIMPLE IRA retirement plan with employer contribution matching

Free health insurance for you, your spouse, and your dependents, including an HRA for out-of-pocket spending. Vision and dental insurance are included because teeth and eyes are also part of your body.

Fully remote work.

Figure 53 is committed to building a culturally diverse staff and strongly encourages applications from people of color, women, LGBTQ+, those living with disabilities, or a member of any group that is traditionally excluded from work in the tech sector.

To get a sense of our company culture and HR policies, we encourage you to take a look at our handbook.

How to Apply
Please send a brief resume and a 1 to 2-page cover letter, both in PDF format.

We’d like to hear about the following in your cover letter:

Why you’re interested in working at Figure 53
Your relevant technical experience
Your experience with theatre or live events
Your communication skills and past experience working with a team
Anything else that shows why you’d be a great addition to the QLab development team

As a bonus, if you’ve used QLab before, we’d be interested to know your favorite QLab feature, or one thing you’d like to change about the program.

Please email jobs@figure53.com to apply. We will be taking applications from October 22 until November 10th.

Figure 53 jobs

Senior QLab Developer (macOS)